Crayfish
by Traveling Trainer
Summary: While a team of explorers sets up camp, a medic notices a crayfish swimming around in the nearby pond, and the group of five all make attempts to catch it, in one way or another. A short, Etrian Odyssey-based oneshot, inspired by a particular event in the Golden Deer Keep.


"Huh? Hey, look at this! Hey, everyone, over here!"

The serene silence of the Golden Deer Keep was broken by the excited call, and the group of four explorers looked up from their work, their camp preparations briefly forgotten. They glanced over at a white-coated man, who was waving his arms wildly at them from a small, nearby alcove, sprigs of lavender, hanging moss, and numerous curling roots decorating the ancient bookcases. A young, pale-haired girl stood up and took a few steps towards the cheerful medic, wiping flecks of dirt from her gloves as her gray eyes narrowed. She fixed her teammate with a stoic stare. "What is it, Damien? Is there something wrong with the pond?"

Damien shook his head, his unkempt hair falling in front of his face, bottles of medicine rattling in the leather satchel that was slung over his shoulder, and he eased backwards towards the wall of the little nook, gesturing towards the ground. "No, nothing wrong at all, Sahra! It's actually pretty neat if you ask me. There's a crayfish swimming around in here!"

The sniper blinked once, walking over to the older man and stopping at the very edge of the small pool of water, promptly squatting down to study the clear, fresh stream. The usually smooth surface was intruded upon by ripple after ripple, created by the quiet splashing of a miniature lobster, its red shell standing out against the marble tiles. Sahra watched as the crayfish slowed down and turned, tiny black eyes unwavering as it quickly noticed her presence. A few more moments passed before Damien piped up again, oblivious to the staring match that his teammate and the crayfish seemed to be having.

"It looks pretty big doesn't it? I was thinking we could catch it and maybe we could have it for dinner tonight?" The medic said, lowering himself onto the floor and crossing his legs, cupping his palms to his mouth – and using his fingertips to brush his bangs away – and peering at the dark-haired swordsman who lay a short distance away, blowing at the tinder of a newly-started campfire. "Hey, hey, Skylar! Have you ever cooked crayfish before?"

"What?" The man perked up, his focused expression brightening as he pushed himself onto his knees. His sudden movement caught the attention of the two others that were setting out bedrolls, and both the cream-furred canine and the short-haired, plate-armored woman sneaked glimpses out of the corners of their vision. Damien was about to repeat his question when the words fully sank into the swordsman's head. "Did you say crayfish? I know more about cooking fish than seafood like that, but I could give it a shot. Why, what's going on over there?"

"Are you seriously trying to go fishing inside of that teensy little pond? You dumbass!" The fortress let go of her end of a bedroll and yelled at the doctor from across the room, though the crass remark did little to hide her amusement, and she grinned toothily.

Sahra furrowed her brow, blocking out the various noises in the background as she continued to stare down the crustacean in the pond, waiting for an opening to try and catch the crayfish. She closed her eyes, relaxing and letting her instincts take over. A second passed. Then another. Then another still.

There was a slight splishing sound, so slight that it would have been almost inaudible if she hadn't been listening for it.

Her arm shot forward into the water, and tension abruptly welled up within her when she felt nothing beneath her palm, fumbling around awkwardly for the little lobster; she grazed the ridges of its shell, causing her to hunch her shoulders a tad as her muscles grew stiff. However, before she could make another grab for it, something sharp and pointed clamped down onto her thumb. She recoiled at the jolt of pain that ran through her nerves, letting out a yelp as she tumbled onto her backside, and she waved her hand around, sending lingering droplets in every direction.

"Ah, Sahra! What's wrong?" Damien jumped into the air, startled by her outburst, and he glanced from left to right, sending his other three teammates a dumbfounded shrug before feeling something tug on the end of his coat.

He quickly calmed down, the sound of rustling medical supplies waning soon after, and he took a couple gulps of air while Sahra dried her wrist off on his clothes. She didn't let go of the fabric when she had finished, however, looking darkly at something, and the medic twisted around to take a peek for himself. There was a small dot of blood that had sunk into his coat, and his eyes widened. Damien stooped low and let his satchel drop to the floor, thudding against the ruined tile before he dug into it and pulled out a roll of bandages.

"It just pricked me, Damien. I'm fine." Another red bead formed on her thumb, and Sahra dabbed it on her overcoat, then reached out and let the man wrap a single layer of gauze around the wounded digit. She brought her other hand up and brushed at her hairband, turning her head in the meantime to glance at the crayfish, which was still wading around in the pond. "I thought I heard it splashing, but it must have been nothing."

"Hey, what's going on?" Both explorers looked up at Skylar as he walked over, a concerned expression on his face as he watched Damien patch up Sahra's minor injury. He adjusted his belt, patting the empty scabbard at his hip, having left his sword and shield near the campfire. "Are you alright, Sahra, Damien?"

"Yeah, everything's okay here! Just a little poke from the crayfish, that's all," Damien replied, waving at the swordsman and packing up his supplies again: closing up the leather satchel's flap, tossing the bag over his shoulders again, then nudging a few loose bits of marble into the pond. Sahra folded her arms and stepped away, letting Skylar into the alcove to look at their prey for himself. He let out a grunt of surprise when he saw the crayfish, his worry morphing into a smile.

"Oh wow, so there really is something to fish out of here..." He muttered, brushing dust and dirt off of his pants before casually stretching outward, licking his lips as he lay his palm flat against the bottom of the pond. "Did you just try to snatch it up? When you go fishing by hand, you need to try and trick the fish into getting close before you grab one. See?"

Sahra nodded once, sitting down and leaning back against the empty bookshelf as the swordsman briefly looked at her, then at Damien. The medic was looking at the little lobster in the pool, and he absently swung his bag onto his midriff, no doubt to grab his journal and jot down what the swordsman was telling him. The crayfish's antennae quirked when they sensed the strong waves rolling through the water, and it turned around, cautiously swimming over to Skylar's arm. The water flowed cool on the man's skin as he breathed quietly, gazing patiently at the little lobster, scooting around until he was laying flat on his belly again, his scalemail shifting underneath his shirt.

The crayfish's beady eyes stared blankly at the large something that was suddenly sticking out of its pool, and bent forward somewhat, grazing its anntenae against the arm, seemingly confused by the unfamiliar feeling of skin. Skylar held his breath, locking his jaw as he readied himself to catch his prey, but it was too fast for him; it slashed out with its claw, the chitin clattering noisily against the swordsman's metal bracer, and then jabbed its other claw into his arm. He hissed, air hissing through clenched teeth, and he arched his back, yanking his arm away. Sahra frowned, and Damien gasped, as their teammate cried out. "Ow!"

"Skylar?" A soft voice, laced with worry, called out, and the three explorers looked over at the bushi that was walking towards them, brushing her long blonde hair back behind her padded dress, her footsteps almost inaudible as her paw-like feet padded against the ground. Her tail waved gently as she cocked her head, unsure of the sight before her. "Was that you yelling? What are you all doing?"

"Aah... I'm alright, Hanae." Before the swordsman could continue, Damein grasped his arm tightly, dragging him a couple paces away and rolling him onto his back. The medic quickly spotted the stab that the crayfish had made, carelessly dropping his journal and pencil to instead treat his friend's wound. Skylar sighed, wicking a few drops of sweat from his forehead, but he perked up when he heard Hanae gasp, having noticed the small amounts of blood staining the freshly-tied bandages. She hurried over, her muzzle twisting into a frown as she helped Skylar get to his feet.

"What happened to you?" The beastwoman asked, and she glanced towards the pond in the alcove when Skylar shook his head towards it. The pair both looked into the water, and Hanae's ears shot straight up when she saw the red-shelled crayfish that was now tapping its claws together threateningly. "Oh! Oh my goodness... it didn't hurt you too badly, did it? Skylar? Sahra?"

"I'm fine," Sahra replied, the sniper tugging on the bushi's dress and holding her thumb out for the beastwoman to see. Her bandage had held, and she didn't even feel any blood flowing out anymore. Hanae leaned down and gazed briefly at the young girl's hand, then smiled small, gingerly tousling her hair. "But I think catching this crayfish is becoming more trouble than it's worth."

"I dunno about that, I think we could give it at least one more shot," Skylar said, massaging his hurt arm as he peered down at the crustacean again, a smile returning to his face as he watched the animal wading in circles, content to mind its own business as it kicked its legs around, splashing inside of the clear, cool pond.

Damien grinned enthusiastically at the swordsman's words, and he looked over at their campsite for a moment – watching as Naomi stomped from one side of the room to the other, small puffs of embers rising from the fire – before reaching over and patting Hanae's shoulder to get her attention. "Hey, so do you have any ideas, Hanae? If you can think of anything, we'd all be glad to hear it! Seems like catching it by hand isn't going to work at all."

"Oh, um... well... let's see, then..." Hanae hunched her shoulders as she responded, thoughtfully looking around the small gap in the walls, turning her nose upward to take a deep whiff of the flora that clung to the higher parts of the bookshelves. She waved her hands above her head to waft the scent downward, relaxing as she took another breath of the sweet-smelling air, and then cocked her head, cerise eyes staring at one of the various clumps of flowers that was stuck to a nearby root. After a minute or so, the bushi gently nudged the young girl standing next to her, and the sniper glanced up at her teammate. "Sahra, do you think you could cut down one of those lavender sprigs for me?"

She nodded in agreement, opening one of her belt pouches and withdrawing her carving knife, and Hanae shortly squatted down, wrapping her arms around the girl's waist before hoisting her into the air, exhaling, then inhaling sharply, thankful that the sniper wasn't wearing her bow or quiver. Sahra shifted a little and leaned forward, trying to get a better grip on the plants, and Hanae saw movement out of the corner of her vision. She sighed gratefully when Skylar and Damien both brought their hands underneath their teammate's boots, helping to hold her steady, and the bushi's tail wagged back and forth a little bit harder.

A muted thunk drifted past their ears as Sahra dug her dagger into a sizable part of the lavender plant, loosening the blade a little before sawing back and forth, finishing her work in moments as the soft wood easily gave way. The flower – and the chunk of a root that was still attached to it – fell limply into her grasp, and she held it over her shoulder for her friends to see, swiftly feeling solid ground underfoot soon afterward. She wordlessly passed the lavender to Hanae, cleaning her knife on her overcoat as the canine rolled and flipped the plant between two fingers.

"So what are you gonna use that for, Hanae?" A befuddled Damien wondered aloud, his curiosity overpowering his confusion. They all returned their attention to the miniature lobster in the water, and Hanae knelt down, both legs flat on the marble tiles as she shyly bowed her head, her sidelocks and some stray strands of her hair falling past her shoulders.

"Well... I was just going to use the lavender as bait," She explained, bringing an arm up to scratch at the embarrassed blush rising on her cheeks.

There was a brief and slightly awkward silence as the three other explorers digested the information, only hearing the almost-inaudible splashes of the crayfish and the crackling of the campfire behind them.

"Well... that really sounds like as good a plan as any," Skylar commented, sitting down next to his friend and reaching over, instinctively taking hold of Hanae's free hand, and rubbing the back of it with his thumb. The beastwoman's muzzle wriggled into a small smile at the familiar gesture of affection, and she looked from the swordsman over to Sahra and Damien, the former simply waiting while the latter gave her two thumbs up. "Go ahead, give it a try."

Hanae took another glance at the sprig of lavender before firmly gripping the root, lowering the plant until the very tip of the purple flowers touched the water, sending a single, gentle ripple across the pond's surface. The robust, red crustacean didn't notice the change at first, and she dipped the lavender further into the pool, shaking it somewhat. The crayfish's antennae twitched, once, twice, and it inched around in a circle, tapping the tips of its claws together to try and threaten its unwanted visitors away for the second time that day. When it saw the fragrant petals, however, its aggressiveness drained away, replaced by caution.

The bushi let go of Skylar and brought her free hand around, gingerly fanning the lavender from the edge of the pond to send the pleasant scent over to the crayfish. The miniature lobster almost instantly picked up on the sweet, strange smell, and it slowly scuttled towards the flower, treading water when it got close enough to graze one antenna against the petals. Then it brought its other antenna over to the other side of the lavender, raising its body up and down in a decidedly weird motion as it got a feel for the unfamiliar plant. As it did, however, Hanae dragged the flowers to the crayfish's left, letting out a soft laugh as she watched it give chase.

"It's kind of cute, isn't it?" She said, kneeling straighter as she turned away from the pond, demurely gazing from left to right at her teammates, Sahra nodding and Skylar stifling his own laugh.

"Hehehe, yeah, it sort of is, huh?" Damien chuckled as he replied, and the medic nodded at the pool of water. Hanae waited until the crayfish caught up to the lavender before moving it away again. "Almost makes me want to keep it as a pet or something instead!"

"Uh, hello? What the hell are you all doing over here!? We have a camp to finish setting up, you know, and I'm not gonna be the one pulling all the weight while you all sit around wasting time!"

Everyone started in surprise at the loud, irritated yell that echoed around the empty room, a short yip escaping Hanae's muzzle as she accidentally let go of the lavender's root, and the four explorers turned around and watched as a woman in full armor, clanked over to the alcove. The sunlight that streamed in through the hole in the ceiling glinted off of the fortress' pauldrons, and she stood on her tiptoes, casting a shadow over the pond, and her teammates sitting around it. Skylar shook his head at the knight, pointing at the red-shelled crayfish, which was now clamping its claws around the sprig of purple flowers, petals floating to the top of the pool as it cut the stem into pieces.

"We're trying to catch this crayfish, Naomi," The swordsman answered with a short gesture, curling his legs to his chest to make an open spot for the woman to stand in. The little cranny in the wall was starting to seem quite crowded. "Damien found it and thought it'd be good for dinner tonight."

"There's seriously a crayfish in that stupid little thing?" Naomi followed Skylar's pointed finger until she leveled a taunting glare at the miniature lobster, and Hanae crawled out of the way when the fortress stooped down, her expression a mixture of annoyance, anger, and amusement. The knight peered around at her teammates, furrowing her brow when she noticed Skylar and Sahra's bandages. "Wouldja look at that, you weren't joking after all. For god's sake, why didn't you just call me in the first place, Damien? I'm wearing a goddamn suit of armor, I could catch it for you and I'd be just fine!"

She ended her statement on a smug note, letting a smirk slip onto her face before she launched forward, practically punching the pool with a gauntlet-clad fist. Skylar, Hanae, Damien, and Sahra barely had time to let the words sink in, and they whipped around to shield themselves from the water that splashed up into the air, numerous droplets and tiny streams spattering onto their arms and clothes. When they turned back, Naomi was triumphantly brandishing the crayfish by its midsection, its claws tapping against each other in a panic.

"There, I've got it for you! Now get back over here and help me out!" The woman said, rising to her feet and stomping back into the room.

Damien watched his teammate go while he wrung out a wet spot on his coat, only realizing once he had finished drying himself that the other three explorers in the alcove were staring blankly at him, save for Sahra, who was as solemn as usual. He combed his fingers through his hair and shrugged.

"Ah... eheh! Sorry," He apologized sheepishly, shoving his hands into his coat pockets, jostling the small vials and other things tucked away inside.

Skylar sighed and patted the medic's shoulder before taking Hanae's hand, leading the four of them back over to the campfire.


End file.
